Published: Monday, August 19, 2013 at 1:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, August 18, 2013 at 11:03 p.m.

It has been a year since AirTran Airways Flight 1062 departed Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, the final trip for the hub's second-largest airline.

In the 12 months since, AirTran's loss has been felt dramatically: Passenger traffic at SRQ, as the airport is known, is down 13.4 percent so far this year, a loss of more than 100,000 fare-paying travelers.

But it could have been worse, says airport chief executive Fredrick "Rick" Piccolo. Since AirTran pulled out, the airport has landed a new flight from United Airlines and added service from other carriers, such as JetBlue Airways, that has blunted the damage.

"While we hated to lose AirTran, and it certainly was a blow to the airport, we were able to make lemonade out of lemons," Piccolo said. "While we would rather have not gone through it, I think in the big picture we've fared pretty well."

The departure of AirTran, which carried 365,000 passengers a year, cost Sarasota-Bradenton about $1 million in annual revenue from its $21 million budget.

To mitigate the damage, the airport tightened operations and spending, Piccolo said.

United, which returned to Sarasota-Bradenton in early November after leaving in 1994, is now flying one daily nonstop to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. AirTran had been serving Midway Airport, Chicago's No. 2 airport.

In the first six months of 2013, United flew nearly 48,000 passengers through Sarasota-Bradenton, for an 8.4 percent market share.

Passenger response has been so strong that the airline is looking at expanding service here.

"We are pleased so far with the performance of the flight," said United spokeswoman Mary Clark. "We are considering the possibility of adding some additional flights."

She said increasing service to Chicago was under consideration, but nothing has been recommended yet. Airlines typically want to assess a full year of operations before committing to expanding service.

"Decisions like that are always demand-based," she said.

United has been flying near capacity, with many flights more than 90 percent full, depending on the time of year, Piccolo said.

OTHER AIRLINES ARE CONTRIBUTING

The loss of discount carrier AirTran -- which also offered daily flights to Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Indianapolis and Milwaukee -- has been offset somewhat by other airlines, as well.

JetBlue added flights to and from Boston and increased service to New York's LaGuardia Airport, and Delta brought a new flight to Sarasota-Bradenton from Atlanta and to New York.

At least a few airlines also have added seating capacity by flying larger jets.

AirTran, which served Sarasota-Bradenton for eight years, typically would have carried about 214,000 passengers by mid-year, Piccolo said.

United and the other new service added about 115,000 passengers this year, so the net loss to the airport is about 100,000 travelers, he said.

"So we've recovered a good amount of it, probably better than any other airport that lost AirTran," he said.

The carrier abandoned six small U.S. airports last year after being acquired by Southwest Airlines.

The Dallas-based airline, which operates major hubs both at Tampa International Airport to the north and Southwest Florida International Airport, in Fort Myers, to the south, cited spiraling fuel costs as a key factor in abandoning SRQ.

Though the decline has been felt, through the first half of this year, Sarasota-Bradenton has nonetheless handled 651,471 passengers.

Delta, the airport's dominant major carrier with a 58 percent market share -- up from about 40 percent when AirTran flew here -- has seen its passenger counts jump 11.5 percent for the year.

JetBlue, now the No. 2 carrier at SRQ, increased its passengers 34.5 percent, and US Airways grew 19.3 percent.

Regional jet traffic, smaller aircraft operated under the US Airways umbrella, is off by 11 percent so far this year.

COUNTEROFFENSIVE INCLUDES MARKETING

In addition to beefing up service, airport officials have undertaken a marketing campaign to drive additional traffic.

Last summer, the airport launched the "Do You SRQ?" campaign, aimed at stopping passengers from using larger airports in the region, such as Tampa International and Southwest Florida. A study last year found that 70 percent of Sarasota-Bradenton's potential passengers -- as many as 1.5 million people annually -- fly out of the area's other major airports.

In response, the pro-business Argus Foundation has urged its members to make Sarasota-Bradenton the first call when making travel plans, said executive director Kerry Kirschner.

"We think the airport is the linchpin to economic development," he said.

The local airport will be particularly important if the region lands the 2017 World Rowing Championships, which would bring in 42,000 athletes and supporters for the 10-day event, he said.

Though a preliminary selection was made of Nathan Benderson Park, near the Sarasota and Manatee county line, the decision still requires a formal vote and affirmation, expected in early September.

Kirschner said he just booked two fall trips out of Sarasota-Bradenton, paying round-trip fares of $336 to travel to Hilton Head, S.C., and $363 to Hartford, Conn.

"How much cheaper are you going to get going to Tampa, with the driving and parking and time lost?" he asked.

SPENDING TO ATTRACT OTHER AIRLINES

But while the promotional campaign may lure some travelers to change routes, airport officials also plan to spend heavily to court new carriers or convince existing ones to add service.

Piccolo has a $1.4 million war chest to spend on attracting new service.

That includes a $500,000 federal grant, $300,000 from the airport, $100,000 each from Visit Sarasota County and the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau for marketing and an airport fee-waiver program worth $400,000.

The federal grant, which expires if unused by late 2015, is a revenue guarantee for an airline during its start-up period.

It is similar to the $1.5 million grant Sarasota-Bradenton used in 2004 to entice AirTran and subsidize its early operations.

"People are using what we have," Piccolo said. "The hardest part is getting the airlines to add more."

The struggle is one the airport has grappled with for years, largely because Sarasota-Bradenton sits between two airports with more airlines, more flights and, in some cases, cheaper fares.

Tampa International handled 16.8 million passengers and Southwest Florida hit 7.3 million in 2012, compared with Sarasota-Bradenton's 1.2 million.

But hopeful signs for growth at Sarasota-Bradenton International lay on the horizon.

Piccolo is hoping that the pending $14 billion merger between American Airlines and US Airways, though now subject to a lawsuit seeking to block it, could open new service -- including a long-coveted western route such as Dallas-Fort Worth.

"We think that could be positive for us here, but of course, we thought that when Southeast bought AirTran," Piccolo said. "It will create a bigger system, so even if we get no new service, people will have more choices from a bigger network."

<p>It has been a year since AirTran Airways Flight 1062 departed Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, the final trip for the hub's second-largest airline.</p><p>In the 12 months since, AirTran's loss has been felt dramatically: Passenger traffic at SRQ, as the airport is known, is down 13.4 percent so far this year, a loss of more than 100,000 fare-paying travelers.</p><p>But it could have been worse, says airport chief executive Fredrick "Rick" Piccolo. Since AirTran pulled out, the airport has landed a new flight from United Airlines and added service from other carriers, such as JetBlue Airways, that has blunted the damage.</p><p>"While we hated to lose AirTran, and it certainly was a blow to the airport, we were able to make lemonade out of lemons," Piccolo said. "While we would rather have not gone through it, I think in the big picture we've fared pretty well."</p><p>The departure of AirTran, which carried 365,000 passengers a year, cost Sarasota-Bradenton about $1 million in annual revenue from its $21 million budget.</p><p>To mitigate the damage, the airport tightened operations and spending, Piccolo said.</p><p>United, which returned to Sarasota-Bradenton in early November after leaving in 1994, is now flying one daily nonstop to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. AirTran had been serving Midway Airport, Chicago's No. 2 airport.</p><p>In the first six months of 2013, United flew nearly 48,000 passengers through Sarasota-Bradenton, for an 8.4 percent market share.</p><p>Passenger response has been so strong that the airline is looking at expanding service here.</p><p>"We are pleased so far with the performance of the flight," said United spokeswoman Mary Clark. "We are considering the possibility of adding some additional flights."</p><p>She said increasing service to Chicago was under consideration, but nothing has been recommended yet. Airlines typically want to assess a full year of operations before committing to expanding service.</p><p>"Decisions like that are always demand-based," she said.</p><p>United has been flying near capacity, with many flights more than 90 percent full, depending on the time of year, Piccolo said.</p><p><b>OTHER AIRLINES ARE CONTRIBUTING</p><p></b></p><p>The loss of discount carrier AirTran -- which also offered daily flights to Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Indianapolis and Milwaukee -- has been offset somewhat by other airlines, as well.</p><p>JetBlue added flights to and from Boston and increased service to New York's LaGuardia Airport, and Delta brought a new flight to Sarasota-Bradenton from Atlanta and to New York.</p><p>At least a few airlines also have added seating capacity by flying larger jets.</p><p>AirTran, which served Sarasota-Bradenton for eight years, typically would have carried about 214,000 passengers by mid-year, Piccolo said.</p><p>United and the other new service added about 115,000 passengers this year, so the net loss to the airport is about 100,000 travelers, he said.</p><p>"So we've recovered a good amount of it, probably better than any other airport that lost AirTran," he said.</p><p>The carrier abandoned six small U.S. airports last year after being acquired by Southwest Airlines.</p><p>The Dallas-based airline, which operates major hubs both at Tampa International Airport to the north and Southwest Florida International Airport, in Fort Myers, to the south, cited spiraling fuel costs as a key factor in abandoning SRQ.</p><p>Though the decline has been felt, through the first half of this year, Sarasota-Bradenton has nonetheless handled 651,471 passengers.</p><p>Delta, the airport's dominant major carrier with a 58 percent market share -- up from about 40 percent when AirTran flew here -- has seen its passenger counts jump 11.5 percent for the year.</p><p>JetBlue, now the No. 2 carrier at SRQ, increased its passengers 34.5 percent, and US Airways grew 19.3 percent.</p><p>Regional jet traffic, smaller aircraft operated under the US Airways umbrella, is off by 11 percent so far this year.</p><p><b>COUNTEROFFENSIVE INCLUDES MARKETING</p><p></b></p><p>In addition to beefing up service, airport officials have undertaken a marketing campaign to drive additional traffic.</p><p>Last summer, the airport launched the "Do You SRQ?" campaign, aimed at stopping passengers from using larger airports in the region, such as Tampa International and Southwest Florida. A study last year found that 70 percent of Sarasota-Bradenton's potential passengers -- as many as 1.5 million people annually -- fly out of the area's other major airports.</p><p>In response, the pro-business Argus Foundation has urged its members to make Sarasota-Bradenton the first call when making travel plans, said executive director Kerry Kirschner.</p><p>"We think the airport is the linchpin to economic development," he said.</p><p>The local airport will be particularly important if the region lands the 2017 World Rowing Championships, which would bring in 42,000 athletes and supporters for the 10-day event, he said.</p><p>Though a preliminary selection was made of Nathan Benderson Park, near the Sarasota and Manatee county line, the decision still requires a formal vote and affirmation, expected in early September.</p><p>Kirschner said he just booked two fall trips out of Sarasota-Bradenton, paying round-trip fares of $336 to travel to Hilton Head, S.C., and $363 to Hartford, Conn.</p><p>"How much cheaper are you going to get going to Tampa, with the driving and parking and time lost?" he asked.</p><p><b>SPENDING TO ATTRACT OTHER AIRLINES</p><p></b></p><p>But while the promotional campaign may lure some travelers to change routes, airport officials also plan to spend heavily to court new carriers or convince existing ones to add service.</p><p>Piccolo has a $1.4 million war chest to spend on attracting new service.</p><p>That includes a $500,000 federal grant, $300,000 from the airport, $100,000 each from Visit Sarasota County and the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau for marketing and an airport fee-waiver program worth $400,000.</p><p>The federal grant, which expires if unused by late 2015, is a revenue guarantee for an airline during its start-up period.</p><p>It is similar to the $1.5 million grant Sarasota-Bradenton used in 2004 to entice AirTran and subsidize its early operations.</p><p>"People are using what we have," Piccolo said. "The hardest part is getting the airlines to add more."</p><p>The struggle is one the airport has grappled with for years, largely because Sarasota-Bradenton sits between two airports with more airlines, more flights and, in some cases, cheaper fares.</p><p>Tampa International handled 16.8 million passengers and Southwest Florida hit 7.3 million in 2012, compared with Sarasota-Bradenton's 1.2 million.</p><p>But hopeful signs for growth at Sarasota-Bradenton International lay on the horizon.</p><p>Piccolo is hoping that the pending $14 billion merger between American Airlines and US Airways, though now subject to a lawsuit seeking to block it, could open new service -- including a long-coveted western route such as Dallas-Fort Worth.</p><p>"We think that could be positive for us here, but of course, we thought that when Southeast bought AirTran," Piccolo said. "It will create a bigger system, so even if we get no new service, people will have more choices from a bigger network."</p>